Please don't TELL me to sell my quilts!

[buckeyequilter]

But when something becomes a "job" to me, it loses a lot of it's appeal.

That's how I feel too. This is my HOBBY not my JOB - I already have one of those.

[bkthomas]

I always take it as a compliment!!!! ....and there ya go, Sandy hit the nail on the head!!!

[aqua-teal71]

I think it is a compliment, an annoying one, but just the same.
I have given most away, sold about 3 and can't bear to part with my
quilted children.

[MRoy]

Whether or not you sell your quilts is strictly your business. Most people don't want to pay what a quilt (or any other hand-crafted item) is truly worth when you consider the $$ value of the time and effort you put into it.

[Jenny Mulhall]

Hello There!

I think I might have a cautionary tale for you...

I had a similar problem three years ago. I baked and made novelty cakes for friends and family and the local GAA (Gaelic football) team. Time and again I was advised (pressured!) to sell my cakes and people even took it upon themselves to give my number to strangers and told them to call me for a cake!

In my case, I wasn't as determined as you are. I buckled and said 'yes' when I meant 'no'. Because I felt awkward, I took small payment for my cakes, so of course I became very popular! It took a long time to claw back my privacy and get back to where I was when I baked for my own pleasure and the pleasure of those near and dear to me. However, my joy isn't what it was and I'm not sure that it ever will be.

I think you've been as firm as you possibly can be, without being rude. Clearly, there is no talking to this lady! Perhaps your Hubby could have a word? Shes his Mammy, after all!

And fair play to you for being true to your own heart. I wish I had been! (hugs)

Jenny x

[auntiemern]

You do need to talk to her about it privately. I have very rarely sold any thing I have ever made. They are yours to with what you want. No ones business but yours,. Keep them and love them, and if the time comes you want to give one away then do that.

[Margok]

Quilting shows my love of beauty. I love to see one of my quilts on a bed. I aim for a quilt of the month for my room. These beauties keep my eyes looking at my living space. When I was at home and young I was able to move into the "little boys" room. There were train, airplanes and automobiles on the wallpaper. I just stopped looking! These quilts help me over come this "blindness". I so enjoy looking at the work of my hands. I also enjoy the wonderful way the quilts feel when sleeping under them. It delights me. Will not sacrifice that joy for a sale.

[a1angiem]

Wow! I've been busy at the sewing machine most of the day and was so surprised at all the replies!!! Thank you everyone for great suggestions, wonderful words of advice and praise, and great shared stories of similar situations!!! I knew I wouldn't be alone in this one.

And Jenny, I totally know how you feel about the baking: I used to occasionally treat an acquaintance to a favourite cake because he made such a fuss and enjoyed them so much - it made me feel wonderful to surprise him now and then. But then one year he and his wife 'commissioned' me to do all their holiday baking for a party (she was under the impression I was a caterer...I'm not) and it was so much work and cost so much for me to make all these things, with my retail premium ingredients and domestic kitchen...and when it came time to pay they didn't have the money and it was sooo embarassing and awkward! NEVER again...and I haven't made that favourite cake since. Shame...

[Jenny Mulhall]

Oh, we have 'no-pay-ums' over here too, Angie! I hear that!

I just took a sneaky peek at your Album and am going to crawl into a hole and die. Your quilting is... I haven't the words. Please God, with practise, I might one day have one Hundreth of your talent!

You have a gift, it brings you great joy and is an expression of your love for those you hold dear. These are payment enough for ANYBODY! Take care, Angie.

[Cathy F]

I agree with Marebear's comment, I think she means it as a compliment. I have gotten those comments in the past about my cakes when I did them years ago as a hobby. People would say things like "wow, you should sell those because they look just like they came out of a bakery", I did start a business years after and I will tell you it takes alot of the fun out of it when you have to produce a product whether you feel like it or not.